Rector’s September Note to Parish
Dear Redeemer,
The decrease in humidity and increase of activity are true signs that Fall is here! After a lovely Summer under the tree, we will be heading inside to worship in just a few weeks (on Sept. 20th), and our program year is about to really get underway.
There are a few things I want to share as we head in to Fall:
1) Welcome Christy!!!!!!!
First, it is with great pleasure and excitement that we welcome Christy Taylor to Redeemer this Sunday, Sept. 6th. Christy is a second-year Seminarian at Boston University and a Postulant for the Priesthood in the Diocese of Massachusetts. Christy will be with us through the program year as part of her academic, spiritual, and vocational formation through both BU and the Diocese. She will be involved in the breadth of parish life: joining in worship leadership, preaching, attending a variety of meetings(and the retreat!), and working with Sunday School and Social Action initiatives as well. Christy will be with us 10-12 hours a week, in-person at Redeemer on Tuesday afternoons and Sundays, and at other times as needed. If you notice a table tucked in the back of the Conference Room between the clergy offices, you will have found Christy’s home base while she is at the Church!
I am so grateful that Christy will be offering her gifts to our community this year, and that we can be part of her formation for ordained ministry. Please introduce yourselves to her in the coming week and join me in welcoming her into our community.
2) Shift from planning to action:
In the coming days, RSPT will complete its work and submit a Strategic Plan to the Vestry for its consideration and approval. This is a HUGE milestone! Every person in this community gave generously of their time, insights, reflections, and dreams. RSPT gathered all our offerings and with a lot of hard work and faithfulness, shaped them into a plan that will help us continue to thrive.
This has been a long process for all of us. In many ways, it began when Covid hit six years ago and decisions about renewing our sanctuary were put on hold. Since then, this community has weathered an extended lockdown, regathered into a clergy transition, managed multiple staff transitions, completed a rector search, welcomed a new rector and given her time to settle in and get to know the community, repaired a seriously-damaged rectory, adopted current Mission and Vision statements, and now drafted a Strategic Plan. No wonder we are tired!
During the past few months, I have increasingly noticed a tension between the very real sense of being tired and over-extended and the very real sense of being eager to act – to move from planning and waiting to doing.
One of the things I most appreciate about how RSPT is structuring the Strategic Plan, is that RSPT has very carefully identified Early Actions – tasks and initiatives that we can undertake now without placing too great a demand on our strained bandwidths. These include: establishing a more regular Sunday schedule (see clergy note of previous post), working some easily-doable one-time Social Action events into our already-established calendar, and updating our printed materials and gathering them into newcomer kits readily accessible to greeters.
These are early steps we can undertake while preparing the groundwork for the larger conversations and heavier lifts to begin in a few months. Those interested in acting will have opportunities to do so; those looking to rest will be welcome to rest. This structure offers us both a chance to pause, recognize this milestone, and recover from the intensity of the past years, and the opportunities to begin acting after a long period of planning.
I continue to be so touched by the faithfulness of this community. Faithfulness, generosity, and dedication are among Redeemer’s many gifts. These have carried us through this extended time of discernment. And they will continue to sustain us into our next phase.
With many blessings,
Megan+